'There is no excuse for live animal exports' - animal rights group

The recent outrage over the live transportation of 19 000 cattle via sea from Brazil to Iraq (with a stop over in Cape Town harbour) has opened up a discussion on how animals are reared and taken to slaughter.

Lester Kiewit hosted a panel discussion looking at the issues at hand and whether this multibillion-dollar industry can be conducted more humanely.

The presenter even admits to finding it hard to continue justifying his own consumption of red meat.

Toni Brockhoven at Beauty Without Cruelty says Kiewit's reaction should be the reaction of "all decent people everywhere."

"This is not about whether we eat animals or don't eat animals, this is about the fact that we are not treating them humanely."

Toni Brockhoven, Chairperson - Beauty Without Cruelty

"The fact that these animals undergo sea sickness, injuries and diseases is inexcusable and I don't believe that there is no economy of scale, where we cannot, in this country, build more abattoirs which would be more beneficial from an economic point of view."

Toni Brockhoven, Chairperson - Beauty Without Cruelty

The SPCA, who were tipped off about the conditions onboard the Al Kuwait last week and sent inspectors into access conditions on the ship, says it is unnecessary to transport animals intended for slaughter by sea.

It says this method of trade causes pain, suffering, and distress to many animals, including high mortality rates occurring during the voyage.

It recommends that the animals should be transported in carcass form.

Last year, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development finalised the publishing protocol on guidelines for the exportation of live animals by sea.

Even though South Africa may only be the 27th largest exporter of bovine meat in the world, it contributes to a massive multi-billion dollar global industry, as agricultural economist Thabile Nkunjana explains.

"From 2003, around 10.9 billion worth of live animals was imported across the world, that increased to 123 billion, an increase of 113%."

Thabile Nkunjana, Agricultural Economist - National Agricultural Marketing Council